


From a Cold Castle to a Warm Tavern

by flyingoverthehorizon



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Unspecified Historical Setting, Vampire Sehun, Vampires, non-historically accurate setting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:08:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27108487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingoverthehorizon/pseuds/flyingoverthehorizon
Summary: Sehun is a failed vampire who wants nothing more than to connect with the humans in the nearby village.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Comments: 18
Kudos: 55
Collections: CASE–94's Midnight Tales





	From a Cold Castle to a Warm Tavern

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was written for the first Midnight Tales round of the CASE–94 Fest for Oh Sehun.
> 
> this fic constantly had a very autumnal feel for me as i worked on it. i hope i managed to convey that into the writing~ i also hope i did the prompt justice
> 
> i want to thank the mods of the fest for being so amazing! they have been hyping it up all this time and been so accommodating <3

The doors to the wardrobe creak as Sehun eases them open. It smells of mothballs and lavender. In the back of the wardrobe Sehun is keeping a linen shirt, simple woolen pants and a dark coat. He pulls them out.

He walks over to his dressing station and shimmies out of his fancy silks and fine linen undershirt. He tosses them over a tall arm chair carelessly.

Once the simpler clothes are put on he goes to look for the least ornate vest he owns. It will suffice for an evening like this. He also pulls on a pair of leather boots. No ornaments, but sturdy and well made.

He takes a look in the mirror before leaving. Yes, he looks decent. He nods, content, and heads out the door of his bedchamber.

As he walks down the narrow stairs in one of the back towers of the castle he chuckles at the thought that some people would assume that he doesn't have a reflection. That is just a silly rumor.

The back door groans and creaks angrily when he pushes it open. Gosh, all things in this castle seem to love to complain, Sehun thinks. The doors are creaky, the walls are drafty and his parents keep complaining about his lacking character.

Sehun starts walking down the winding trail downhill through the woods.

It's not like he hates his life in the castle. He just doesn't like it very much. It's boring. And cold. And his parents are quite overbearing at times.

The only nice place in the whole castle is his coffin. It is warm and cozy, and lined with very soft fabrics. And maybe he would consider the dining area to be nice too since they have a big fireplace there. But there is also where his parents tend to ask him why he is not more enthusiastic about their lifestyle. So maybe not the nicest room after all.

Basically, Sehun is a failed vampire, in the eyes of his parents. And probably his older siblings too, even if they haven't said anything out loud about it. He doesn't care about their fancy jewelry, the castle ("It's part of our heritage, Sehun. It's been in the family for generations. You should be proud!" his mother had chided him), the whole terrifying-bloodsucker-who-will-be-benevolent-towards-loyal-subjects aesthetic, or even the consumption of blood if he is being honest. It's like water, he thinks. You drink water because you need it, not because you love it. It might taste amazing when you are thirsty but generally it is just a boring necessity.

He starts to see the lights from the village between the trees. He'll be there in a few minutes.

The village doesn't know that the castle overlooking them from the hilltop is inhabited by vampires. Maybe they suspect it, but no one knows for sure. Sehun's family is very careful to not hunt near the castle. They had distant relatives who were not so careful and ended up perishing at the hands of a very angry mob of villagers. So official hunting parties only happen a day's travel away or more. And the everyday blood either comes from donations from loyal servants or from the cold storage in the basement. Thankfully they don't need very much blood to sustain themselves, a wine-glass a day is plenty.

Sehun emerges from the trees and treks up towards the first houses. The main street is still bustling with people finishing their business for the day. But soon everyone who doesn't have small children to tuck in for the night will be making their way to the tavern.

It is a Saturday evening and like every Saturday there will be music and dance in the tavern throughout the evening and well into the night for those who have the energy to stay up that late.

There is a lot of noise over by the tavern and the torches lit around the entrance flicker in the wind. Many of the villagers have already arrived and they chat in clusters outside or have gone inside for a drink, or to find a good spot for when the dancing starts.

Sehun walks in through the door and is immediately met with the pleasant warmth from within the room. The handful of villagers who are skilled with musical instruments have set up camp in one of the corners and are busy tuning and checking their respective instruments.

He walks over to the bar and waves at the barkeep. She smiles and comes over. "They let you out of that castle for the evening, boy?"

Sehun chuckles. "Yes, ma'am, they did."

Ever since Sehun’s first visit to the village the villagers seem to assume that Sehun is a servant in the castle. He's never had any reason to correct them. Being strange and foreign would not serve his weekly visits. It is probably safer to let them assume that he is one of them. And in a way he really wishes he was. He isn't sure whether he would want to be human necessarily, but the castle is lonely and life there can be very boring.

Sehun isn't under the impression that life in the village is easy, but it at least seems more interesting than the life he’s living. He’s the youngest son in a rich family. He has little to no responsibilities that are asked of him, even if he were to care for being a vampire. His siblings have snagged all the responsibilities there were. And being the youngest out of four makes it highly unlikely that he would ever inherit the titles of his parents. Both his older sisters and his older brother would have to pass away or become so ill that they could not keep up with their responsibilities. And considering how eager all three of them are to seize any kind of power and titles Sehun finds it unthinkable that they would give up any of their vampire aristocracy without a vicious fight.

So even if he is a miserable vampire in a cold castle, he at least is let off the hook most of the time. And no one is looking for him on Saturday evenings so he is free to roam the land. Which is how he ended up going to the tavern in the first place.

The first time he just observed from afar. For the next week he bribed one of the servants for casual clothes. It took several more weeks before he mustered up the courage to actually go near the tavern and step inside.

He had been very shy and careful. But Mrs Lodge, the barkeep, had made him feel at ease with her casual chatter and he had left feeling bubbly and happy. Was this what he had been unknowingly craving all this time? A joyful evening spent among friendly people in a warm tavern. It was nonetheless greatly different from the life he was used to leading. 

Mrs Lodge gently places a jug of cider in front of Sehun and brings him back to the present. “There you go, son.”

Sehun thanks her, takes the jug and starts looking for a seat. There is a bench next to one of the outer walls that is largely unoccupied so he sits down and gently sips his drink. It is warm and not too sweet, and strangely enough it tastes like fall. Sehun assumes that Mrs Lodge had put a heaping of spices in it to warm him up. He would need to thank her for that later. 

As he takes a second sip of the warm beverage he catches someone entering the tavern in the corner of his eye.

Sehun’s heart jumps in his chest.

Jongin. The farm boy.

The very cute farm boy, Sehun’s mind helpfully adds. 

Jongin comes to the tavern every Saturday. Sehun had only been coming here a few times when he noticed Jongin for the first time. He was laughing and dancing with the rest of the group in the open space in the room. Sehun had struggled to take his eyes off him, but didn’t want to seem rude so he had done his best to hide his staring. 

These weekly visits to the tavern is only a habit that is a few months old to Sehun. It started sometime in the summer, and now it’s in the middle of autumn. But ever since that sweet summer night soaked in Jongin’s laughter Sehun has nursed somewhat of an infatuation for the farm boy. One could attribute it to his life in the castle being boring and lifeless, or one could admit that it is Jongin’s bright smile and kind personality that snatched Sehun’s (potentially dead) heart. 

Sehun shyly observes Jongin as he greets some people he knows and makes his way through the crowd. When he spots Sehun his face lights up and he hurries over. 

“Sehun! You came!” 

Sehun’s lips twitch into a small smile. Of course he did. There isn’t much else he does on Saturday evenings anyway. 

“I bet it’s nice to get out of that big castle. It kinda scares me if I’m being honest,” Jongin chatters on. 

Spot on. “Yeah, I needed to get out,” Sehun replies and sips his drink. 

He always feels a little tongue-tied around Jongin, but he really appreciates his company and Jongin is talkative enough to basically carry the conversation himself. 

It had taken a while of Sehun awkwardly observing Jongin, trying to not be creepy, before they had even spoken. As it turns out, Sehun had been speaking with Jongin’s father at one point. He had asked Sehun where he was from. The village didn’t get enough outside visitors for him to go unnoticed. After having had some information pried out of him (“So you’re living in the castle? How old are you?”) the man apparently had gone home to tell his son about the new boy in town. And Jongin, learning that there was a new young man at his age had approached Sehun and struck up a conversation. 

Sehun had been flustered, but Jongin had been too curious to be put off. And a tentative friendship had started blooming. Sehun’s initial interest didn’t seem to be waning, though. He found Jongin to be increasingly cute and endearing. But it also made it harder to fully relax around Jongin because Sehun would keep being flustered and stumble over his words. 

Awkwardly Sehun asks Jongin about how the fall harvest is going. 

“Oh, we’ve got most of the hay inside by now. Hopefully we can let the animals graze for a while longer. If we get snow early this year we might be short on animal feed.” 

It isn’t necessarily a topic Sehun is super interested in, but Jongin has a way of speaking that makes Sehun want to listen to his every word. 

“It sounds like a lot of hard work and worries,” he comments.

“Hmmm, yeah it takes a lot of planning, a bit of guesswork and a fair share of luck from time to time, but it’s very rewarding to see things grow and to care for the land and the animals.” Jongin looks thoughtful. “It is certainly hard work, though, and some years are definitely rougher than others. But my family is doing okay. I guess you could say that we have luck on our side.” 

Sehun really can’t relate to Jongin’s life, but he truly admires his dedication and passion. 

A few notes drift through the tavern. The band has finally assembled and are ready to start. The violinist and flutist start with a little duet piece before the accordion and tambourine join in and people start to gather out on the floor. 

Jongin gets up to join the crowd as they line up for the dance, but Sehun stays put. “Aren’t you going to dance?” Jongin asks when he notices Sehun’s hesitation. 

“I’m not so confident in my dancing ability…” Sehun drifts off. 

“Oh, come on, you’ll do fine. You’re always just watching everyone else dance. You probably know the steps by heart from your observations by now.”

Jongin grabs Sehun’s hand and drags him out on the floor. Sehun, flailing to somewhere to put his now empty jug, sputters something incomprehensible and Jongin laughs. 

Unsurprisingly Sehun messes up several steps and gets lost whenever it’s time to swap partners, and he feels the heat rising on his cheeks. But it makes Jongin smile and Sehun is prepared to do almost anything to make Jongin happy.

When they end up opposite to each other Sehun almost falls over his own feet when he looks Jongin in the eyes for a moment, and it makes Jongin giggle so much that he struggles with the steps as well. Yep, Sehun thinks, the embarrassment is totally worth it. 

After a little while everyone has swapped partners enough times for everyone to go around, and the little band rounds up the song for a short drink break. 

Sehun is warm, and despite having shrugged off his coat almost right away, he is tempted to take off the vest as well now, but decides against it. It wouldn’t be proper. 

Jongin has gone to go get something to drink so Sehun goes to look for somewhere to sit again. But before he gets that far, Jongin is back and takes him by the forearm and pulls him outside. Sehun manages to grab his coat as they go. 

Jongin pulls them down on a bench around the corner outside the tavern. It is so quiet out here, compared to the inside. The jug in Jongin’s hand is steaming so he gently blows on it before taking a sip. He’s is still smiling. 

“See? You can actually dance if you just give it a go.” 

“I don’t know what you think you saw, but I wouldn’t call that dancing. I was tripping over my own feet most of the time.”

Jongin chuckles. “Well, you won’t be as good as me without some practice.”

“Oh, so you’re some sort of professional?” A hint of playful mockery works its way into Sehun’s voice.

“Nah, but I’ve known this dance since I was a kid. And I don’t look lost at every other move.” 

“It was you who said that I basically knew it by now!” Sehun protests.

That makes Jongin laugh. “I’m just teasing.”

“I figured.” Sehun is back to being flustered again.

Jongin gently nudges Sehun with his shoulder. “You’ll know it by heart in no time.”

“Maybe…” Sehun isn’t convinced. He doesn’t seem to be good at the whole coordination thing. 

“I can walk you through the steps, if you want,” Jongin offers.

Sehun looks him in the eyes, surprised. “Really?”

“Yeah, why not. I know them, so it wouldn’t be very hard.”

“But wouldn’t it be… I don’t know… awkward?”

Jongin looks confused. 

“With just the two of us, I mean,” Sehun tries to explain. He can feel himself blushing.

“Oh…” Jongin looks bashful. “Would it make you uncomfortable?”

“I don’t know…” Sehun replies truthfully. He likes the idea of it but he has no idea how he would react.

“I wouldn’t mind, if that helps. I did offer after all. And I really enjoy your company. You’re very quiet and I don’t know you super well yet. But I want to get to know you better.” Jongin confesses. “Plus, I like looking at your face. It’s cute.”

Sehun’s face is so red now. He doesn’t know what to say.

Sehun feels Jongin’s hand brush against the back of his hand.

“I want to get to know you better,” Jongin says quietly, all playfulness gone from his voice. It sounds almost like a promise. 

Sehun hooks his pinky around Jongin’s. “I like looking at your face, too. It’s cute.”

He doesn’t know what else to say, but he hopes it holds as much of a promise.

Sehun might be a failed vampire, but it’s possible that he would have been decent as a human.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you found it at least a little enjoyable and cute~  
> i miiiight feel like writing a sequel in the future, but i make no promises!
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/flyingothorizon)!


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